England v New Zealand: Jonathan Trott serves as a rock but he does tend to block

In the next three weeks England’s chances of winning their first 50-over
global tournament hinge a lot on their No 3 batsman Jonathan Trott, who
continues to divide opinion – can he score quickly enough or not? – after
his contribution of 37 from 53 balls to England’s losing cause.

Limited appeal: Jonathan Trott, if he stays in for any length of time, guarantees England will reach 200 - but will not reach 300Photo: GETTY IMAGES

There was an ODI player called TrottOn whose batting England depended a lot. He can serve as a rock But he does tend to block And his aerial hitting ain’t hot.

Trott’s one-day batting method is as inflexible as his routine of marking his guard then unbuckling his pads and rebuckling. He is a rock, which is ideal in certain conditions, but in others England would prefer something rather more elastic.

His method consists of starting in first gear to get off the mark, moving into second by easing a drive or two through midwicket, then venturing into third. Overdrive has yet to be seen, as his one-day international strike-rate of 75 runs per 100 balls might suggest.

It was typical that after Ian Bell had edged a big cover drive, Trott would bat out the last four balls of Tim Southee’s over, without scoring.

Time spent in reconnoitring is never wasted – except in a one-day international if a specialist batsman gets out when set, as Trott did, and all his top-order colleagues.

Only Alastair Cook can say whether he was influenced by Trott’s initial passivity. But the fact is that Trott at the other end had faced five balls without getting off the mark at the moment when Cook, like Bell, went for a big cover drive and edged a catch to Luke Ronchi, New Zealand’s new keeper.

Two incoming batsmen on nought in the 13th over: a fielding captain’s dream! A spinner’s dream too. Nathan McCullum came on for the 17th over and was allowed to bowl his quota straight through, for only 34 runs, and one solitary four hit off him, by Eoin Morgan.

The boundaries, like the early moisture, dried up at both ends.

As both opening batsmen had gone, neither Trott nor Joe Root could attempt high-risk shots, as only the two finishers – Morgan and Jos Buttler – and the bowlers remained to bat. At one stage of England’s innings five overs passed without a boundary, at another stage six.

Both Trott and Root began with five runs off 12 balls. Thereafter Trott, the senior partner, was slower, still stuck in second.

Root looked busier, and was: the first attempt during England’s third-wicket partnership to seize some initiative, and exploit New Zealand’s weak link of their fifth bowler James Franklin, came when Root went down the pitch to on-drive four.

As soon as Root plays his shot, whatever the format, he is on red alert for a run. He also puts pressure on the fielder by taking his first run quickly, turning and immediately looking for a second. Trott, not of the T20 generation, sometimes does but at others he is content with a single too soon.

In Test cricket Trott’s main strengths are his imperturbability and his bottom-handed dominance. Like the great batsmen through the ages, he manoeuvres the straight ball through midwicket. But his grip restricts his ability to push singles off the front foot into the gaps on the offside.

Trott’s first four came after a misfield on the midwicket boundary, the second when Franklin strayed on to his legs. After 25 overs, on an outfield much quicker than it had been for the first Test, England had hit 11 fours, although only four fielders are now allowed outside the semicircles; and the sun was shining, on New Zealand.

In the 26th over both batsmen began to unfold. Root ramped a two off Franklin, and Trott went down the pitch to drive him straight. Then both got out, Root reverse-sweeping too hard, and Trott slog-sweeping at McCullum. His aerial hitting is not hot: after striking two sixes off 3,207 balls in one-day internationals, the next ball was not likely to carry all the way.

Trott, if he stays for any length of time, guarantees that England will reach 200 – and that they will not reach 300. He is therefore most valuable on difficult pitches in low-scoring matches.

England cannot win the 2013 Champions Trophy without Trott. Can they win the 2015 World Cup with him?